Death is Always an Option
by mutents
Summary: They all knew how dangerous the world of extraction was. That didn't make their loses any less painful.


_"Don't you want to take a leap of faith?"_

* * *

None of them are truly surprised that Eames is the first to go. It doesn't hurt any less, but it doesn't surprise them. The manner of his end is even less surprising. The forger died how he had lived: carelessly. Stabbed in an alley by a mugger.

They all make it to the funeral, Saito included. They don't sit together, that would look to suspicious, but they do sit through the entire ceremony. They're are very few women there; Ariadne is rather sure she's the only non-relative of her gender. It seemed that despite the forger's facade, he was truly lonely at heart.

* * *

Miles is the second to pass. His is even less shocking than Eames'. Miles wasn't a young man anymore, and his health had been failing for years. Cobb was there with the professor at the end, holding his mentor and father-in-law's hand. Miles' last words had been words of comfort for Cobb; the professor told him that he never had blamed Cobb for Mal's death.

Only three of them are in the large church for the man's funeral. Arthur is sitting with Cobb in silent support, while Ariadne sobs into one of her classmates shoulder. Neither party looked at the other. Only Arthur, Cobb, and the kids were at the burial.

* * *

Saito was third to pass. The man's tendency for ruthless business deals had left him with a fair share of enemies. One such deal had left a very irate victim who happened to own a gun. He had somehow managed to walk right into Saito's office, and shot him point-blank range. The guards had been mysteriously absent at the time.

Only Fischer and Cobb were at the man's funeral; his wife had left him years ago, and his mistress just hadn't had the interest. The two men sat as far apart as possible, and neither of them looked at the other. Neither of them went to the burial, either.

* * *

Yusuf was fourth, and yet another unsurprising death. After all, the man had been running a highly illegal dream den. The story being told was that he had drew a gun on the cops during their raid. The truth was that he had beaten to death by those very same officers due to his refusal to let them use his PASIV's.

His funeral was a traditional Indian one, with his wife and kids sitting front and center. His wife looked terrified, flinching at almost every sound. His children, four boys and three girls, on the other hand simply seemed confused. The three members of the team left sat in various places in the building, once again never meeting each other's gaze.

* * *

Ariadne was next, and the two men left were in agreement; her's was the least fair. Eames had always made stupid decisions, Miles was an old man, Saito was ruthless, and Yusuf far too trusting. Ariadne was none of those things; she was kind, smart, young, kind, and just suspicious enough of the world to keep safe. She hadn't deserved to be hit by a drunk driver walking home from work, and she definitely hadn't deserved to die alone, bleeding out in the streets she had grown to love.

The two men finally gave up the pretense of having never met, sitting together in the back row of a small church in Connecticut, watching her sobbing mother, stoic father, heartbroken older brother, and lost looking younger brother. They went to the burial, also, and actually stood with the family. When the Ariadne's elder brother asked who they were, they replied simply by saying old friends. That had been enough for the grieving family, and they had left soon after. The usually well coiffed point man looked like he hadn't slept in days, and that the last time he had it had been in the suit that currently hung on his frame. He had tossed in a dozen roses, and never shed a tear.

* * *

Arthur was not even half a year later. The previously careful man had been taking on more and more dangerous jobs, and working with teams that worked even farther outside of the law than Cobb did. So really, it shouldn't have been a surprise when he was stabbed by his latest "team's" architect. Arthur's last thoughts had been contemplative; how odd it was that, in a way, he hadn't been killed by one architect, but two?

Cobb sat in the church alone. Arthur had been an only child, and his parents had died when he was young. He hadn't had any family, and instead was sent into the foster system. Cobb knew that was where his former point man and best friend had first discovered how helpful burying one's emotions was, and where he had eventually perfected it. Cobb had thought about bringing his son and daughter, but decided that he just wanted to be there alone. Alone with the first man who had understood him, and the last member of his team. Cobb was alone in the graveyard, also. If he was honest, though, he hadn't felt alone. There were times when the extractor could swear he could hear familiar sounds; Eames' light chuckle, Miles' huff of laughter, Saito slightly maniacal laugh, Yusuf's deep bellied guffaw, Ariadne's contagious giggle, and even Arthur's rather rare laugh.

* * *

Cobb was well into his nineties now. It had been over fifty years since he buried the last member of his team. Now, as he fought for breath in a hospital bed, he looked around at the faces of his family. Phillipa and James were in their sixties now, with children and grandchildren of their own. There was hardly enough room for everyone in the small room, but they managed to fit everyone in. His son and daughter were on either side of their father's hospital bed, holding their father's hands and crying silent tears.

Cobb couldn't help but think he didn't deserve this. That it should have been Arthur, or Ariadne, or Yusuf, or hell, even Saito or Eames lying in this hospital bed with family surrounding them. But no, they had died alone. Yet here he was, the man who had been instrumental in his own wife's death, dying with loved one's there with him. His last thought was of that first moment after the Inception, when they had each been allowed last glances before reverting back to the facade of being strangers. The look of pure happiness in each of his teammates eyes.

* * *

_"Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone!"_


End file.
